Premium
The Consequences of Literacy in Pragmatic and Theoretical Perspectives
Author(s) -
Akinnaso F. Niyi
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
anthropology and education quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1548-1492
pISSN - 0161-7761
DOI - 10.1525/aeq.1981.12.3.04x0077y
Subject(s) - literacy , educational anthropology , sociology , curriculum , cognition , anthropological linguistics , software deployment , cognitive linguistics , applied linguistics , epistemology , social science , psychology , pedagogy , educational research , linguistics , clinical linguistics , philosophy , neuroscience , computer science , operating system
Drawing on resources from anthropology, linguistics, psychology, and education, this paper examines critically the effects of literacy on cultural traditions, linguistic behavior, socio‐economic organization, cognitive processes, and child development. Attention is given to the question of whether literacy causes new cognitive capabilities or only promotes the deployment of preexisting ones. The paper also considers the implications for anthropological, psychological, and linguistic theories of the increased attention given to the study of literacy and its effects on language, thought, and society. Suggestions are offered about how school curricula and general educational policies could make use of relevant findings in devising literacy programs that are socially and culturally relevant.